Main
« Page 2 of 2
by Dean Borok
The meaning of art is to enhance a miserable and brutish natural existence by the flowering of culture. Sometimes that expression can take the form of a flying leap executed by Baryshnikov as part of ballet choreographed by Balanchine. Other times the expression of art can be quite horrifying, as in a tableau by Hieronymus Bosch or an “Aliens” movie.
The amount of artistic expression necessary to satisfy a person’s need for beauty varies according to that individual’s capacity for fulfillment. Some people can be satisfied by a trip to Disney World while for others the earth, the moon and the stars are never enough. When I was younger I worked full-time as a designer, which would be quite enough creation for many. Yet I still found time to run around in search of other media of expression. I did a comedy act, visited galleries and museums, read three books at a time, played music, haunted art cinemas.
In retrospect I now understand that I was charging my batteries with the cultural arsenal to one day explode as a writer, though previous to the Internet I never bothered to write a word. For what reason, to show to a useless agent or publishing hack? Pearls before swine! Now that I have access to Internet technology to take my case directly to the mass audience, those bureaucrats can be excised as conveniently as cutting fat off a steak.
Jump
by Jessica Dawson
During my short stay on this planet, I have had the privelage of seeing some great bands in some fantastic venues. Now my definition of a fantastic venue is a complete dive by every stretch of the imagination. Something that when families walk by it the mother draws her children closer while whispering something to the effect of "come along dear."
The inside is even more of a mess. It smells of cheap beer and cigarettes with even cheaper looking people serving the questionable goods. The floor and walls are stained with bodily functions of every caliber signifying either too good of a time or too drunk to care. The bathrooms are even worse being the equivalent of a rest stop nightmare and if there is food being served, odds are you shouldn't eat it.
This may sound like the gates of hell, but then there's the stage. In the midst of all of the carnage and lack of hygiene is where you'll find it. Immaculate in it's blackness, it serves as the perfect blank canvas for any band to paint on. This is my manja, but luckily for you, this is not the case of the Beacon Theatre.
Jump
by Dean Borok
Aug. 25. City Council members are spending thousands of dollars to buy new garbage cans bearing their names – NY Sun.
ALL HAIL THE GODS OF GARBAGE!
Back in the halcyon eons of ages past illustrious nobility could achieve immortality by declaring themselves to be descended from the celestial deities and having temples and holy orders consecrated in their honor. Throughout the ages kings and emperors embossed their likenesses upon grand erections like the pyramids and the Taj Mahal to proclaim their passing through this mortal coil, thereby reminding future generations of their eternal greatness.
But nothing surpasses the modern age for scientific genius in mankind’s quest to achieve godhead through technological innovation like that truly magnificent tribute to human civilization, the New York City Garbage Can.
In a truly heroic attempt to transcend the boundaries of mere human existence and achieve the status of Olympian immortality, certain New York dignitaries are consecrating important sums of money to having their names affixed to that most ubiquitous of containers in the hope of increasing their fame and enhancing their prestige, as well they should! It was only a matter of time until we as a nation of high-class status seekers turned our attention to designer garbage. What stylish New Yorker wants to be seen depositing his dog waste or leftover fish heads in a greasy, common trash receptacle? Are we not the Imperial Masters Of The Universe? That is why branded garbage has finally emerged as the centerpiece of our civilization.
Jump
Radiohead
In Rainbows
Available only online
by J.R. Knight
Radiohead will never release Ok Computer again. They don’t have to. That seminal album cemented Radiohead uber-indie status as critically acclaimed hit makers. Pablo Honey and The Bends were great records but it was Ok Computer that proved that Radiohead was capable of transcending the indie label to produce monster radio hits without compromising their integrity.
It’s been ten years since then and Radiohead has spent much of its time and cred distancing themselves from pop music, creating their own specific abstract sound while trying not to alienate their scores of radio fans. Kid A and Amnesiac are wildly inaccessible (in terms of pop records) but still managed to spawn radio hits and music videos.
In Rainbows, the bands newest album, isn’t just its first effort in four years, it’s their finest since the high water mark of Ok Computer. It’s also their most labored, but not in a bad way. Much of the work of writing took place back in 2005 (Arpeggi was premiered in March of 2005) with recording sessions taking place in late 2005 and late 2006 with a tour in between. It wasn’t until early 2007 that In Rainbows was ready.
Jump
Control
Dir: Anton Corbijn
121 mins
by Walter Anka
Talk about it’s “grim up North”.
“Control” is beautifully Grim!
The film is based on three collective elements:
“Touching from a distance” the biography/autobigraphy of Ian and Debbie Curtis as told by Debbie.
Joy Division’s Discography: “Unknown Pleasures” and “Closer”, and the singles “Transmission” “Atmosphere” “An Ideal for Living” and “Love will tear us apart”.
And the iconic still images that Anton Corbijn had taken in years bygone, for the NME.
To see the photographs come to life is quiet and magical. The stark cinematography highlights the depressed times of living in Macclesfield/England in the late seventies.
To see the baby’s pram parked up outside on a deserted cobble-stoned street is quite melancholic.
Jump
fire at the taco bell...
here are a few shots from Malibu.
Jump
by Callie Enlow
Photos by Sydney Beveridge
Sushi According to Lana:
Supplies:
Bamboo rolling mats*
Very sharp knife
Cutting board
Wooden spoon
Ingredients:
3 cups sushi rice (at least)
(SUSHI RICE INSTRUCTIONS)
1 package nori wrappers (roasted seaweed)
1 cucumber, cut into matchstick-sized strips
2 avocados, cut in thin strips
1 package fresh or frozen salad shrimp**
Soy sauce
Wasabi paste
Pickled ginger (Gari)
Jump
by Callie Enlow
A restaurant sushi dinner is elegant, healthy, fun and…expensive. Luckily, it’s also really easy and cheap to make at home. All it takes is traditional ingredients, a sushi rolling mat, the willingness to experiment and a patient sushi teacher.
When Dinner Party guest Lana let it slip that she and her boyfriend made their own sushi rolls at home, we immediately thought it would be a great dinner party idea. After not a lot of begging, Lana agreed to teach our crew how to make basic sushi rolls. We also decided to try our hand at tempura frying some vegetables. We rounded out the meal with Lizzie’s delicious noodle salad and Japanese snacks and beverages. Although the tempura got a little soggy, we more than made up for it with rolls and rolls of sushi!
Jump